Formaldehyde is a colorless gas with a pungent odor. An aqueous solution of formaldehyde is often used as a disinfectant, as it kills most bacteria and fungi. It is also applied in medicine to dry the skin, such as in the treatment of warts, and to preserve biological specimens.

Formaldehyde is highly toxic to animals and humans, regardless of method of intake. In June 2011, the US National Toxicology Program described formaldehyde as "known to be a human carcinogen.”

Pocket watches come in two main styles – the hunter-case, and the open-face.

A hunter-case pocket watch has a spring-hinged circular metal lid or cover, that closes over the watch-dial and crystal, protecting them from dust, scratches and other damage.

An in-between style, the half-hunter, has an outer lid with a glass panel in the centre, giving a view of the hands. The hours are marked, often in blue enamel, on the outer lid – allowing one to tell the time without opening the lid.

Clarice Cliff was an English ceramic industrial artist. She was born in Tunstall, Stoke on Trent, in 1899. She started work in the pottery industry in 1913, initially as a gilder. She moved on to freehand painting, and studying art and sculpture in the evenings. In 1916, she moved to a factory in Newport, Burslem, to improve her career opportunities. Her talent impressed the factory owners (one of whom eventually became her husband). She was allowed increasing design freedom, and in 1927 was given her own studio. She decorated in freehand patterns, developing a style she called 'Bizarre'. The work was immediately popular, and she soon developed an entire range. Some of her designs, which became increasingly angular and geometric, would later be termed Art Deco. By 1929, her team of decorators had grown to 70 young painters, mainly women, called her 'Bizarre girls.'

Her Bizarre and Fantasque ware was sold across Britain, North America, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. In the 'Pasadena Evening Post' she was quoted as follows: "Having a little fun at my work does not make me any less of an artist, and people who appreciate truly beautiful and original creations in pottery are not frightened by innocent tomfoolery."